No Interviews For You!

It seems that Joe Biden got asked some more tough questions, and yet another local television station is on the Obama campaign blacklist. You would think that they would just do what they really wanted all along; stay with CNN and the Daily Kos.

Watch the video and see Biden get flustered once again. Poor guy.

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Hillary In The Rear View Mirror

She was supposed to be the first woman President of the United States. It was a given and no one saw Obama coming. Then Obama stormed ahead and eventually won the nomination, and it was expected that Hillary would at least be the first woman Vice President of the United States. Then something else happened; Obama changed his mantra of change, and picked a running mate from the same old, same old.

John McCain pounced on the opportunity and picked Sarah Palin for his running mate and effectively seized the brass ring of change. Almost immediately, the fortunes of the two candidates reversed, and Obama is now tilting at windmills, flailing blindly in a feeble attempt to regain his political footing.

One claim made by Obama was that he was going to “change the tone” of campaigning. Gone would be the usual vitriol and personal attacks, at least emanating from his camp. That all changed in an instant once they got a taste of Sarah Palin, and the ensuing attacks have been beneath even those to which the most seasoned political junkies have become accustomed. It shows a frantic desperation.

Obama himself has said that he “doesn’t believe in coming in second”. That would indicate a belief that desperate times call for desperate measures, and I look for some to begin bubbling to the surface soon. If the polls don’t start to even out again soon, there could be a huge shake-up in the Obama Camp.

In order to reclaim his stake in the change game, he will need to usurp Governor Palin’s appeal to women voters, and quickly. Look for Joe Biden to “fall ill”, paving the way for the democrats to hoist a woman of their own in the campaign, namely one Hillary Rodham Clinton. It will not be reported in the media, of course, but the reality of Biden's "illness" will be the direct result of the rear wheels of Obama's bus.

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More Signs Of The Rope-A-Dope

Sarah Palin Being Rolled Out



When fishing, especially for the big ones, the tried and true tactic after hooking one is to let the fish take the line and run; let it think it may win for a short time while it swims frantically and then jerk the line once more and start reeling it in. It will still flail about in vain, tiring itself out even more as you bring it closer to the boat. Then rinse and repeat, until you have achieved victory.

Muhammad Ali had another term for the tactic; The Rope-A-Dope. In both cases the idea is to trick your enemy into a false sense of easy and impending victory while causing him to expend vast amounts of energy on a fruitless pursuit. Give him a little of what he wants until he feels over-confident and then put him away.

The McCain campaign gave the public a taste of Sarah Palin and they loved her. At least those inclined to love her, did. The other side, not so much. They pounced almost at once and began demanding more of her, and right away. When the campaign implied that she'd be unavailable for a short spell the line was set, the fish hooked, and it began taking line. Bloggers and main stream media outlets alike began asking why she was unable to face scrutiny. Just when the media they thought they'd burst from self-righteous indignation, the campaign announced that Palin would be more than available, for two days worth, and this week.

Charles Gibson of ABC News will have all the access he, or anyone else questioning her "seclusion", could have asked for, and they will then see that "the Barracuda" can also hold a fishing rod.

According to The Politico:

Campaign aides said the anchorman will get extensive, repeated access to Palin throughout her first trip home since becoming the nominee.
“ABC News will have plenty of time to question her and examine her and spend time with her,” a campaign official said. “They’ll do multiple interviews over two days. No topics are off-limits – there are no ground rules. There’s tons of time to talk to her about every topic.”

That doesn't sound like a candidate being sequestered. It sounds like a candidate about to lay a smack down on her critics. As the old axiom goes: "Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it". Or, as George W. Bush might say, "Never misunderestimate your opponent".

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A Profile In Courage Not Biden's

It's strange sometimes how things just fall from the sky into your lap, figuratively speaking, of course. Watching the Republican Nation Convention tonight, I was struck by a moving video, narrated by actor Gary Sinise. Sinise is a rarity in Hollywood; he's an unabashed conservative who is fortunate in that he is so talented that the powers that be simply cannot separate their politics from their pocketbooks.

Sinise narrated a short video commemorating the brief life and career of Michael Monsoor, a brave Navy SEAL who gave his life in Iraq by falling on a live grenade in order to save his platoon. "Mikey", as he was known to those close to him, was honored in front of his surviving family at the Convention and the video was beautifully done, as was the somber narration of Sinise.

The video was a condensed synopsis of an equally condensed life story. The thing that leapt out at me was the fact that Mikey was a Navy SEAL. Becoming a SEAL is one of the most difficult processes in the military. One of the requirements is the ability to pass a test in which the cadet must hold his breath under water for 5 minutes. Michael Monsoor had asthma as a child. He conditioned himself by taking up swimming and snowboarding. Then he became a Navy SEAL.

Vice Presidential candidate Joe Bide, a 35 year veteran of the U.S. Senate, received five deferments to Vietnam because he was classified 1-Y and disqualified from service because of asthma as a teenager. Just how badly did Biden want to defend his country? Obviously not as badly as Mikey.

As the campaign season wears on we can count on the Democrats to make as little as possible of McCain's service even though it is a scant four years since they tried in vain to convince us that such service was the biggest reason to vote for Kerry over George W. Bush. Keep this in mind as the season winds down to November.

Asthma was an excuse for Biden to sit it out. It was a motivation for "Mikey" Monsoor. And Mikey's family was at the RNCC. 'Nuff said.

-Woody

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